Our friends over at Kitsilano’s Zulu Records once again present their weekly Scout feature, the Zulu Report. Within, staff from the West 4th music store provide The Track, the song that is on heavy rotation that week; The Playlist, which is pretty self-explanatory; The Gig, the must see show of the week; and The Glance, a view ahead to music on the horizon. From their ears to yours, enjoy…

The Track

Arcade Fire performing “Ready To Start,” from their brand spanking new album The Suburbs (Merge), live in Toronto.

In an exceedingly short time Arcade Fire evolved from a Montreal recording project to a unanimously loved, magazine-cover shoot, international phenomenon.  Bowie even said he was down with them (you know you’ve made it big when Bowie tips his hat to you).  That makes for a lot of expectation and criticism whenever it comes time to roll out the new album.  While Neon Bible, their sophomore disc, wasn’t exactly panned it did take some serious shots from the critics.  I suspect The Suburbs will put the anxious masses at ease and reassure the bloggers that Win Butler knows how to write a solid gold collection of songs.  The Suburbs is a beast of an album – over and hour long! – that’s packed with what I like to call “the goods.”  Hey, it’s been years since the last album, we have new Arcade Fire to listen to, so just watch this raucous live clip and get pumped!

The Playlist

The records on heavy rotation in the store this week…

BEST COAST Crazy For You (Mexican Summer)
This Eagle Rock toker just wants to play in the sun and rope down a man!  Can you blame her?  Not after hearing these fuzzed out three chord peons to the JAMC, The Everly Brothers and Leslie Gore, you can’t.

PSYCHIC ILLS Catoptric 12” (Social Registry)
Yessss!  The Ills provide the perfect hazy, brooding slow jams for these hot and psychotic summer days we’ve been having.  Catoptric finds the band in fine form – these four tracks slowly unfold like molasses, taking their time on a trip to nowhere.

THE FRESH AND ONLYS August In My Mind (Woodsist)
SF’s golden boys of scrappy recorded pop goodness return and  August… is a stunner of an LP.  Caked in reverb and minor chord scrappiness, I detect a thread of melancholy that runs through these songs, perhaps in anticipation of summer’s end and winter’s oncoming dread.

M.I.A. Maya (XL)
A lot of reviews dumped on M.I.A.’s third outing, and to be honest my initial reaction was a bit bleh.  But subsequent listens have shown me that there is method to this woman’s madness: Maya is chock full of fractured, spastic, banging hits.

WOLF PARADE Expo 86 (Sub Pop)
Howl and the moon and crank this good ol’ fashioned rock album on the stereo.  There are no remixes, guest spots or music videos here – just four sweaty dudes rocking out like the Boss or Bowie in their respective primes.

THE BOOKS The Way Out (Temporary Residence)
Five years is a long time to wait for a new album and could well be the death knell of a lesser band – not so The Books.  They’re calling The Way Out their best album and I’m agreeing with them on it.

NO UFO’S Soft Coast (Nice Up Int’l)
We’re listing No UFO’s again because a) Soft Coast is a stunner blend of krauty meandering, concise beats and atmospheric cut ups; and b) supplies are crucially low so I’m telling you for the last time to pick up a copy.

BIG BOI Sir Lucious Left Foot…(Def Jam)
One half of Outkast makes a convincing argument that mainstream rap isn’t a completely dead genre.  Hooks, sci-fi funk and melodious rhymes abound in a thick southern brain stew.  I likes.

WAVVES King Of The Beach (Fat Possum)
King of the beach, king of the buzz, king of the fuzz pedal – Wavves’ third outing, and first as a ‘real band,’ is a sun scorched set of self-loathing and pot smoking-anthems.  Hang ten.

JANELLE MONAE The ArchAndroid (Sony)
Outkast and P. Diddy-approved space funk soul hop from the mysterious, not of this world Monae.

The Gig

Boris play the Rickshaw on Sunday August 22nd

Japan’s Boris are a three headed hydra of rock, metal, kraut, punk, shoegaze – basically any guitar centric genre of music of the last forty years.  And they’re a sight to behold live.  I saw them play the Brickyard (R.I.P) years ago, and when they weren’t riffing hard and fast like Lemmy in his prime they were calmly cruising the astral plane, complete with vocal mantra and huge golden gong!  It’s rare that they grace us with their presence so be kind and make sure you’re in attendance.

The Glance

Cool local shows on the immediate horizon

Fri AUG 6
SEU JORGE – VOGUE
WOODHANDS – BILTMORE
JOHN DAHLBACK – CELEBRITIES
JUCIFER – FUNKY WINKERBEANS

Sat AUG 7
THIRD WORLD – COMMODORE

Sun AUG 08
BENGA – VENUE

Mon AUG 09
VIEUX FARKA TOURE – BILTMORE

Tue AUG 10
PARSON RED HEADS w/ Cotton Jones, Minto – MEDIA
HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR – VENUE

Wed AUG 11
CHROMEO w/ HOLY GHOST, Telephoned – COMMODORE
OHBIJOU – BILTMORE
BONNIE PRINCE BILLY + THE CAIRO GANG w/ Sir Richard Bishop – VOGUE

Thu AUG 12
GROUPA FANTASMA & MISHKA – VENUE
AIRBOURNE – COMMODORE

Fri AUG 13
VITAMINSFORYOU – SHARK CLUB
AVICII – CELEBRITIES

Sat AUG 14
BRITISH COLUMBIANS – SHARK CLUB

Sun AUG 15
AUTOLUX – VENUE
A-TRAK & PEANUT BUTTER WOLF- QUEEN OF DIAMONDS BOAT
JOY FORMIDABLE – MEDIA CLUB

Mon AUG 16
CARY BROTHERS – MEDIA CLUB

Tue AUG 17
FRAN HEALEY (from Travis) – VOGUE
RUSHDEN & DIAMONDS – FORTUNE

Thu AUG 19
MOONDOGGIES – BILTMORE
HOLD STEADY – VOGUE

Fri AUG 20
AN21 – CELEBRITIES

Sat AUG 21
DOBBY DOBSON – ROYAL LEGION HALL
CASIOKIDS w/ Light Pollution, Einar Stokka – MEDIA CLUB

Sun AUG 22
BORIS – RICKSHAW- WE’RE SOLD OUT
THE SWELL SEASON – MALKIN BOWL
JOKERS OF THE SCENE – VENUE

Wed AUG 24
MOGWAI film screening – PACIFIC CINEMA..

Thu AUG 26
WAVVES – BILTMORE
MAT KEARNEY – RIO THEATRE
DATSIK – FORTUNE
STRUNG OUT w/ Rufio, We Are The Union – RICKSHAW

Fri AUG 27
FELIX CARTAL – CELEBRITIES Fri AUG 27 VAMPIRE WEEKEND, BEACH HOUSE, DUM DUM GIRLS – MALKIN BOWL – WE ARE SOLD OUT

Sat AUG 28
VAMPIRE WEEKEND, BEACH HOUSE, DUM DUM GIRLS – MALKIN BOWL – WE ARE SOLD OUT
BUSINESS – VENUE

Sun AUG 29
MUMIY TROLL w/ Run Run Run – COMMODORE
MICKEY AVALON – FORTUNE SOUND CLUB